Stoker apparatus



Nov. 11,1941. F.- D. YARlcK l 2,262,079

STOKER APPARATUS Nov. 1l, 1941. F. D. YARICK STOKER APPARATUS 2sheets-sheet 2 Filed July 22, 1959' Ctforneg Patented Nov. 11, 1941'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE sToKER APPARATUS moya D. Yarick, Detroit,Mich.

Application July 22, 1939, Serial No. 286,021 Claims. (o1. 11o-'45) Thisinvention relates generally to heating apparatus and more particularlyto fuel stoker apparatus.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved fuel stoker apparatus in which coking of the fuel issubstantially eliminated.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a novelagitator means for preventing coking of the fuel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fuel stoker apparatus inwhich fuel combustion is improved in a manner such that coking masses offuel will be broken.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description taken with the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a side view partly broken away and in section of my stokerapparatus;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View partly broken away and in section of thestoker apparatus, and

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section of the apparatus taken along the lineand in vthe direction of the arrows 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by characters of refence, the fuel stokerapparatus includes a fuel retort which, in the present instance, issectionally constructed having a base I0 and a removable top I I whichmay be secured to the base by bolts or by any other suitable means.provided with a horizontally extending duct I2 providing an entrancepassage I3 for fuel which, 1in the present Stoker, is drawn or pulledinto the retort by a screw-feed I4 driven by an electric motor I5. Thefuel passage I3 opens into a `vertical passage I6 formed by anupstanding continuous wall I1, cast integral with the base and on theupper open end of which the burner top Il seats. The base I0, wall l1and the top II cooperate to form an air chamber I8 which surrounds thepassage I6. On the shaft I9 of the screw I4 and beyond the opening I6,are provided threads 20 which are reversed from and opposed to otherthreads of the screw whereby to force fuel up the retort passage I6.

On opposite sides of the feed screw are air inlets 22 which lead intothe retort air chamber I8 whence air egresses through ports 23 to thenre, the ports 23 being provided as slots in the upper edge of theretort wall I2 and the screwthread 20 terminates in a disc 24h whichserves to Close passage I3 to the air. Air is supplied to the retort bya blower 24, driven by the electric motor I5, the inlet, as at 24a ofthe blower being at all times open and the outlet of the blower beingThe base I0 isl connected by connected together ducts 25, 26 and 21 tothe retort inlets 22. The duct 25 is a Y-shaped duct having one branch,as at 28, connected to the casing of the motor l5 and partly housing thescrew-shaft I9 which extends therethrough to the motor. In the duct 25there is a damper 30 which is actuated by a heat motor 29 which may becontrolled by a thermostat (not shown), the heat motor 29 serving toeffect a delayed and slow opening of the damper to give the feed screwtime to build up the fire bed before the full capacity of the blower isutilized so as to avoid extinguishment of a low lire by the blower.

In order to prevent coking in the retort, I pro'- vide an agitator 3Ifor the fuel in the retort, the agitator also being arranged and adaptedto direct a stream of air on the fuel slightly above the retort top toincrease combustion in a vertical plane and at a level where there is atendency of coking of the fuel. The agitator 3| is an upstanding tubesecured at its lower end within the retort fuel passage I6 to one end ofa hollow horizontal shaft 32 which is journaled in a bore in the retort.The shaft 32 extends externally of the retort to and through a casing 34having aligned hollow bosses 35, 36 receiving the shaft, the hollow boss35 also receiving the open end of a tube 31, the other end of which issecuredA in and to the wall of the duct 25 between the damper 3l) andthe blower outlet. Within the duct 25, a funnel 38 is secured to thetube 31 and the large end of the funnel faces the outlet of the blowerfor increasing flow through the hollow shaft 32 to the agitator tube 3l.

The screw shaft I9 is rotatably mounted in aligned bores in the casing34 and fixed to the shaft within the casing is a gear 40 which mesheswith a gear 4I rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 42. A link 43 ispivotally connected at one end thereof to and offset from the center ofthe upper gear 4I, the other end of the link 43 being pivotallyconnected to a crank 44 which is secured on the hollow shaft 32, withinthe casing 34.

In operation fuel is fed up through the retort passage I6 by the screwI4 and air is supplied to the retort by the blower 24 to maintain andincrease combustion. Air also enters the funnel 38 and passing throughthe hollow shaft 32 is discharged from the upper end of the agitatortube 3| to the fuel. At the upper end or top of the retort there is atendency of the fuel to coke but if this occurs in the present retortthe agitator mechanically breaks up the mass and, in addition the jet ofair issuing from tube 3| increases combustion, causing the mass of fueltending to coke to be cut into with the result that the fuel settlesdown in the retort. Driven from the screw shaft I9, the link 43 andcrank 44 rotate the hollow shaft 22 first in one direction and then inthe other giving a back and forth or oscillating movement to theagitator. When energized, the heat motor 30 effects a delayed and slowopening of the damper 30, but air flows to and from the agitator tube 3leither by forced draft when the blower is in operation or by naturaldraft when the blower is stopped by reason of the tube 31 beingconnected to the duct 25 rearwardly of the damper 30 or between thedamper and the blower outlet.

While I have shown and described my invention in detail it is to beunderstood that the Same is to be limited only by the appended claimsfor many changes may be made without departing from the spirit and`scope of the invention.

l, In a s tolerapparatus, a retorthavinga substantially vertical passagefor fuel and having adjacent the topv thereof, a plurality of inwardlydirected air outlets, a blower, duct means connecting said retort to theoutlet of said blower, an automatically operable damper controlling flowthrough said duct, a casing between said retort and said blower, ahollow shaft rotatably mounted in said casing and having one endprojecting into the retort passage, said hollow shaft having an upturnedend portion in said passage provided with an air outlet, means withinsaid casing operable to drive said shaft to oscillate said end portion,and a tube connecting said shaft to said duct means between said damperand the blower outlet.

2. In a stolzer apparatus, a retort having a substantially verticalpassage for fuel and having an air outlet, a blower, duct meansconnecting said retort to the outlet of said blower, supporting meansbetween said blower and said retort, ja hollow shaft rotatably mountedin said supportfing means and having one end projecting into the ret'ortpassage, said hollow shaft having an upturned end portion in saidpassage provided with an air outlet, means operable to drive said shaft,damper means in and controlling flow through said duct means, and meanscommunicatively connecting said hollow shaft to said blower outletanteriorly to said damper means.

3. In a stoker apparatus, a retort having a substantially verticalpassage for fuel and having adjacent the top thereof a plurality of airoutlets, a blower, duct means connecting said retort to the outlet ofsaid blower, a damper controlling flow through said duct means, a casingbetween said blower and said retort, a hollow shaft rotatably mounted insaid casing and having one 'end projecting into the retort passage, saidhollow shaft having an upturned end portion in said passage providedwith an air outlet, means within said casing operable to drive saidshaft and oscillate said upturned end portion, and means communicativelyconnecting said shaft to said duct means anteriorly to said damper.

4, In a fuel stoker apparatus, a fuel retort, means providing an airchamber associated with said retort for supply of air to 'the flre a.blower, duct means connecting said air chamber to the outlet of saidblower, a damper controlling flow through said duct means, an upwardlydirected fuel agitator member within said retort and having an airpassage therethrough for discharge of air to the fire, means operable tooscillate said agitator member, and means communicatively f connectingsaid agitator member to said duct means anteriorly -to said damper. l

5. In a fuel stoker apparatus, a fuel retort having a burner topland-having a lower fuel inlet,

a shaft `projecting into said retort through the side lthereof `abovesaid fuel inlet and Iat a substantial depth below said burner -top andthe top extending upwardly -above said burner top.

FLOYD D. YARICK.

